Riffs, Grooves and Rug Rats
To date (1985), Little Creatures is Talking Heads worst Post-Punk/New Wave album, and their best Pop album. I guess they decided to stop speaking in tongues, and start speaking in, gosh, "melody." For the first time, I can actually sing along to songs like 'Little Creatures' and 'Road To Nowhere.' The material is catchy (Television Man), bouncing (Perfect World), and funny (Stay Up Late). Surprisingly, the vocal choruses are "pretty" (And She Was, Creatures Of Love). The old "ever present" driving bass guitar rhythms are still here, and unless David Byrne hired a ringer, Tina Weymouth has never sounded more innovative (Give Me Back My Name, The Lady Doesn't Mind). 'Give Me Back My Name' and 'The Lady Don't Mind' are weird and spooky enough to remind me that I'm still listening to the Talking Heads, and not Hanson. And isn't the concept of 'Little Creatures' (no, not spiders, but "kids") bizarre? The album answers the terrifying question, "What would happen if I let David Byrne babysit my 3-year old?" The answer - "I wanna make him stay up all night" (Stay Up Late). Talking Heads followers might say that the avant garde of riffs and grooves have "sold out." Bologna - what could be more subversive than playing with rug rats?
Come along and take this road to nowhere
Little Creatures is one of my all-time favorite CDs. I know a lot of Talking Heads fans consider this album a little too pop-oriented, but I love every song on here. This is particularly good music to sing along with, yet it still has plenty of quintessential David Byrne vocal sounds to distinguish it from non-Talking Heads music. I still hear And She Was on the radio from time to time, proving its longevity as a quirky, fun track, but for some unexplainable reason, nobody ever seems to play Road to Nowhere anymore. That was really the song that made me a TH fan, and I'll never forget the video with David Byrne running nonstop in the corner the whole time. Stay Up Late is another cool song that got some air play in its day; it's not a song you would want your babysitter to listen to while she is at your house, but it's just a typically fun, unique Talking Heads song. All of the remaining songs are almost as good as the single releases. Give Me Back My Name, The Lady Don't Mind, Perfect World, and Walk It Down aren't spectacular, but they are quite enjoyable. I especially love the chorus of The Lady Don't Mind, and the last verse of Perfect World features vintage David Byrne vocals. Television Man comes closest to the earlier, more traditionally untraditional Talking Heads sound, and it features a great stretch of David Byrne vocal gymnastics. As enjoyable as all of these songs are, though, none compare to the song Little Creatures. It has a great flow to it, with interesting lyrics, and it shows how talented a singer David Byrne really is. The entire album has a fullness and flow that most albums just do not have; I never skip any of the tracks when I play this CD. This group's forehead-slapping music is great, but sometimes it is nice just to relax to calmer music such as this disc offers. Clocking in at just under forty minutes in length, Little Creatures is not terribly long, especially by today's standards, but it is enjoyable from start to finish. Some TH fans might consider this album a musical road to nowhere by this eclectic band, but in my opinion Little Creatures proves that the journey is often times the best part of the trip.
pop TH is tasty
I can't imagine why other TH fans don't love this album as much as I do. From the cover by Rev. Howard Finster to the classic "Walk It Down," the "Little Creatures" album is everything it should be. Irony lives.
"Casual" music lover?
I want to defend this album. In contrast to many of the other reviewers, I beleive that this album marked a positive turning point. I don't dance, so I don't like dance music. I'm not an artist, so I really don't appreciate "quirky" and avant garde. I guess some would call me a "casual music" lover. I love the melody, hooks, energy, and lyrics on this album. I loved Talking Heads' first two albums, but then they lost me until this release. Little Creatures marks a change in direction for Byrne that continued, while evolving, into his solo albums. This release, True Stories, and all of Byrne's solo releases are among my favorite albums in my collection. If you prefer John Lenon over Parliament, I believe you'll prefer this album over Remain In Light.
A wrong turn for the Talking Heads.
What happened here? Having heard the masterpiece Remain in Light and the nearly as wonderful Speaking in Tongues, I was utterly shocked by their near-complete abandonment of the distinct and innovative sound they were building for themselves.
Granted, many of their lyrics actually look very good on paper (by the way, Radiohead fans, compare the liner notes to those for Hail to the Thief...I wonder if "Tchocky" was thinking of this album?). Nearly every one of them has clever turns of phrase, interesting points to ponder, such as "Creatures of Love", "Television Man"...although about "Stay Up Late", all I'll say about that one is, I do NOT want to know. However, the way they're put into music is singularly unimpressive. What happened to the basslines and melodies that defy all common sense, yet still manage to sound good? What happened to the Middle Eastern/African influences? And that synth imitation of a Rhodes should have been banned from the studio (although I must give credit to the Hammond player). Furthermore...although I initially had problems getting used to them, where are David Byrne's quirky vocals and strange noises (other than somewhat on "Television Man", perhaps the only remarkable song on the album)? This bland style simply doesn't suit him.
All in all, this is an album made up of songs that could have sounded good--if the music had approached the level of the lyrics (which save the album from a 1-star, no-merit review). I will not even be giving this CD my customary three listens for it to prove itself...this one is going immediately for trade-in.
Having spent the early '80s in a giddy expansion of the sound and scale of their studio recordings and concerts, Talking Heads come full circle with this 1985 album, retracting to the core quartet and restoring a focus on David Byrne's knotty songs. Arriving in the wake of the fevered rhythms of Speaking in Tongues and Stop Making Sense, Little Creatures's new material sounds freshly lyrical, remarkably concise, even subdued, but there's the usual whimsy--the levitating heroine of the jangling, punchy opener, "And She Was," the cracked child-rearing advice of "Stay Up Late," and the galloping, anthemic reminder that we're on the "Road to Nowhere." --Sam Sutherland
David Byrne and Co.'s Follow Up to the Platinum Selling "Speaking in Tongues" and the Live "Stop Making Sense" Albums Offered their Most Pop Oriented Album Ever. This Edition Includes the Bonus Track of a 12" Version of "The Lady Don't Mind".
